Customer Reviews

Little Bit (EP)

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For the record, Lykke Li has one of the most punnish stage names in all of the pop world.

Fortunately that is no reflection on the talents of this fledgling Swedish singer (real name: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson), her high sweet voice, and her wintry electro-folkpop. And for those who are interested in a more sugary Sia or a more childlike El Perro Del Mar, the "Little Bit" EP is a solid introduction to her music.

It opens with a hollow kettle drum, as if it's testing to see if we can hear it. Similarly, Lykke Li starts going "ooh, ooh ooh," as guitar flutters and electro beats kick in.

"Hands down/I'm too proud for love/but with eyes shut/it's you I'm thinking of," she sings wistfully in a little sugar-candy voice. The vaguely Spanish guitar takes over the chorus as she announces a little quietly, "I would do it/push a button/pull a trigger/climb a mountain/jump off a cliff/'cause you know baby/I love you love you a little bit..."

Follow it up with "Dance Dance Dance," which is a bit too mellow to live up to its name. Instead, it's a little misty guitar melody, with a shy declaration of love: "So when I trip on my feet/look at the beat/it was all/written in the sand/when I'm shaking my hips/look for the swing/it was all/written in the air..." It's just so cute.

It's followed by the murky prettiness of "Everybody But Me," with its gentle jazzy drums and a layer of soft, pale synth. This is the only one that isn't love-related -- it's all about bars, clubs, and how "And everybody's dancing... everybody's toying... everybody's laughing/and I don't want to... They wanna take me home without knowing my name/They wanna put me on/But do they not know is that I'm not like the others?"

That one is actually catchier than the ones before it, but it's followed by a far quieter finale -- "Time Flies," a hauntingly bittersweet little piano ballad that highlights Lykke Li's vocals like a museum case. "Stay a while, my baby wants me to/Don't you go, my baby begs me so/But tide will dry, upon my baby's back..."

There's something incredibly sweet, fragile and innocent about Lykke Li's little debut EP -- all four songs of it. I'm not sure why her music seems this way, if you compare her to El Perro Del Mar, Sia and Stina Nordenstam. But listening to this EP, it's hard not to be struck by its sheer prettiness -- vocally, musically and in the simple little lyrics.

Much of that prettiness comes from Lykke Li's vocals. This girl has a voice of spun glass and sunlit icicles, and regardless of what she sings she sounds incredibly sweet and fragile. But it's also the sweet simplicity of her lyrics -- the absence of love is painful, while its presence brings you shyness, joy and defensiveness . Nah, they're not too complex, but they are adorable -- just look at the one about communicating love through dance.

And her music is also very pretty -- we've got a bit of jazz, a bit of indie pop, and a veil of pale, soft electronica laid over it all. This EP shows off the range of musical instruments used -- you can hear some half-smothered saxophone, a Spanish-flavoured acoustic guitar, a xylophone, and a gentle piano melody that dominates the last song.

"Little Bit" is just a little bit of Lykke Li's music, and the wistful, sweet little pop melodies are definitely worth hearing. Let's hope she breaks out in full, so we can keep hearing this.

I actually bought the single, then the album. Obviously I liked it! I recommend this for anyone who is into Florence & the Machine, Kate Nash, Matt & Kim, The Killers, or even Tegan and Sara. It's fun and happy and that's good anytime of the year!

I bought this EP to see if I wanted to buy the full album, and it is soo great! Lykke Li really understands the concept of 'moments' in music. She gives us time to absorb the sound through her pauses. Her fast music is also very comprehensible and relateable, I know exactly what she is talking about in every song. Awesome...has pushed me to buy the full album definitely.